


Jim, James, Captain, and Kirk

by twoseas



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Angst, Fake Science, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Implied Sexual Content, Jim plays with a sehlat cub, M/M, Multiverse, Pining, Possessive Behavior, Sehlat, T'hy'la, call me JJ Abrams, cuz I'm playing real fast and loose with Star Trek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 20:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13795815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twoseas/pseuds/twoseas
Summary: There are an infinite number of universes filled with an infinite number of possibilities.When Spock meets three alternate versions of his captain, he learns that he only really wants one.





	1. The Other Captain

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my WIP folder for too long. Now it's free and so am I.

Spock and Montgomery Scott stood in wait for their captain, several members of security and the science department gathered and fidgeting on the other side of the transport room. Internal clock precise as ever, Spock concluded that the captain was late by no less than 7.8 minutes. At the station, Mr. Scott tapped at a few buttons, humming tunelessly. 

“Commander?” Mr. Scott’s sunny demeanor dimmed into confusion. 

“Yes, Mr. Scott?”

“I’m gettin’ some odd readings, almost as if...” Tapping furiously, Mr. Scott gawped at the controls in front of them, head shaking in disbelief. “No, no you don’t, ya absolute bastards-”

Mr. Scott was cut off as particles shimmered on the platform, resolving into two forms. 

The first was a woman, full figured, muscular, and with golden blonde hair cut short on the sides while the longer fringe swept artfully along her forehead. The second figure was taller and leaner, with pale skin tinged green, pointed ears, and black hair cut in the style most favored by Vulcan women. Both wore Starfleet issue uniforms - one in gold, the other blue. 

Blue eyes widened, scanning across the now tense and alert occupants of the transporter room. She spoke slowly, gaze calculating though her voice came out somewhat breathless. “I do believe this is not our ship.”

“Indeed, Captain.” The Vulcan female took in her surroundings, as assessing as the other, but without the underlying layer of wonder.

“C-commander Spock?” Mr. Scott turned to Spock, face lax in his surprise. “What do we do?”

While the Vulcan woman betrayed no emotion, both eyebrows rose upward. The blonde woman openly stared, mouth dropping as she followed Scotty’s beseeching gaze. 

“Oh, that’s just not fair,” she complained, eyes trailing up and down Spock’s form. 

“Captain, I do not think-”

“Hey, guys!” Jim entered, oblivious to the stunned standoff that was happening within the transporter room. “Sorry I’m late. Got caught up coaxing Kevin out of an opened panel and I…”

Trailing off, Jim tensed when he caught sight of the unplanned arrivals. He adopted the stance Spock had come to associated with his more authoritative persona as captain. While Spock had seen that stance cow those on the receiving end of it 84.3% of the time, it was unsuccessful in this instance. 

Instead, the blonde woman smirked before looking towards her companion. “Well, Mrs. Spock,” she drawled. “What do you make of that?”

“Fascinating,” the Vulcan female breathed. 

“Mrs. Spock?” Jim’s gaze swept up and down the Vulcan female’s form. “Oh, come on. How’s that fair?”

The blonde woman strode forward, smirk widening and hand held out to shake. “James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise, at your service.”

Accepting the handshake, Jim smiled back, clearly confused but otherwise full of delighted astonishment. “James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the USS Enterprise, at yours.”

 

Nearly an hour after their unique meeting, Spock found he could not deny the logic of his female counterpart’s explanation or the evidence of their own readings. Instead he focused on returning them to their own ship in their own universe, grateful for the help he received not just from his counterpart, but from Mr. Scott and Chekov as well. Particularly because both captains seemed easily distracted by their situation. 

“I’m so hot!” James (she had refused to be called anything other than James while a guest on another Kirk’s ship) declared, her hands poking and prodding at her male counterpart. “Good shoulders!”

“Thanks!” Jim fondled her chest, nearly causing Spock to choke. His counterpart’s mouth was set in such a way he was assured her reaction was quite the same. Mr. Scott and Chekov pointedly looked away. “Damn, I am stacked.”

“What’re we working with down south?” James pulled out Jim’s waistband, looking down the extended front with a curious expression. “Nice, very nice. Hey, Spock, get a look at this!”

Spock turned to his counterpart, horrified. 

Tips of her ears turning a more noticeable shade of green, his counterpart demurred. “I do not think that would be appropriate, Captain.”

“Your loss,” she smirked. 

Jim, faintly red in the face, started to walk around his own counterpart. “Man, I wish I could pull off that dress in my universe. Our ass is amazing in it.”

Head tilted, James frowned. “Why don’t you? Not like they could stop you, it’s a regulation uniform.” 

Jim scratched the back of his neck, smiling self consciously. “I have one. I really wanted to wear it on duty, but my, uh, thighs are too big.”

The PADD in Spock’s hands cracked. 

Nodding sympathetically, James slapped him on the back. “Yeah, I tried to wear the trousers. My hips.”

Spock’s female counterpart looked from her captain to Jim. Her dark gaze settled around Jim’s thighs with unblinking focus. “I have repeatedly informed James that her hips are not unattractive. Far from it. I am compelled to inform you the same about your thighs. Captain Kirk.”

Ducking his head, Jim laughed bashfully. “Thanks, Commander.”

“Of course, Captain.” Spock’s counterpart spoke in an even tone, though Spock noticed the blooming green along her cheeks and the widening of her pupils. He set his PADD down as his fingers twitched and the already cracked glass nearly shattered. 

“Oh, babe, you think guy-me is hot too! I knew it!” 

“Babe?” Chekov’s head popped up from his equations. “Did you call ze commander babe?”

“Yeah, she is my wife, why wouldn’t I call her babe? She’s a babe,” James told him matter of factly. Spock was grateful that his PADD was far from his hands. Scotty let out a hysterical peal of laughter before shoving a fist into his mouth. Jim tripped on his own feet though he had not been walking. Now frowning, James turned to Jim. “Why? Do you not use pet names for your Spock?”

“N-no,” Jim stuttered. 

Spock stiffened in his seat, voice inflectionless. “We are not in a romantic relationship.”

Spock’s female counterpart stared at him with a hard look that reminded him uncomfortably of his mother when she was displeased and trying to figure out all the ways in which she could describe how she had been disappointed.

James pouted, eyes dimming. “Why not?”

“W-we, um, we’re-”

Ignoring Jim’s stuttering, Chekov piped up. “Ze commander was in a relationship wiz a woman.”

“Chekov!” Mr. Scott and Jim both scolded the young man, causing him to return to his equations after a squeaked out apology Spock recognized with a nod of his head. When Jim finished his chastisement, he shared a look with his counterpart. Spock was unable to see either of their expressions until a beat of silence had passed and she turned back to Spock.

“Ok, so you’re straight in this universe. Guess that was bound to happen, infinite possibilities in the multiverse and all that. Can’t help it if you’re not into guy-me.” James tapped her finger against her bottom lip. “But wait! Does that mean you’d be into me, Commander?”

James smirked, devilish and seductive as she purred out his title. She struck a pose, hip cocked and body twisted in such a way that displayed all her considerable assets. At her side, Jim’s mouth fell open. Spock swallowed, unable to articulate a response to the question. 

Spock’s female counterpart leapt from her seat and a deep, hostile growl sounded in the suddenly silent room. She adopted the traditional beginning stance in Vulcan fighting, standing between James and Spock, blocking her captain as well as Jim from Spock’s view. “Mine,” she snarled at him. 

“Holy shit,” Jim and James whimpered. 

Spock did not move, fully aware that any action he took could easily set his female counterpart into a more violent show of protection and possession. 

“Spock, babe. Calm down.”

“You are mine,” Spock’s counterpart argued, still watching Spock with distrust and aggression. 

“I am. All yours, gorgeous. Until the end of time.” James’ voice was soft and pacifying. 

“He is not me and I am not him and you are not his. You are mine.”

“I know that. I’m all yours. Spock, baby, you’re scaring the other people. I’m sorry, I was just teasing. You don’t have anything or anyone to worry about.”

At James’ soft declarations, Spock’s counterpoint relaxed into a more natural stance, dark gaze turning more guarded and less enraged. “I apologize, ashayam.”

“It’s ok, it’s my fault,” James whispered. “I’m sorry. I forgot that the bond’s still kind of new. I should’ve known better than to tease while it’s settling and you’re so protective. I’ll behave.”

Spock could only watch, unblinking, as James and her Spock shared a Vulcan kiss. 

Jim cleared his throat, speaking in a much higher pitch than Spock had heard before. “So how about those equations, Chekov? Scotty?”

 

Their counterparts were returned after Chekov and Scotty managed to recreate the circumstances of their arrival, leaving Jim and Spock standing in tense silence. 

“Well, Commander,” Jim coughed. “See you around.”

Jim dashed off, leaving Spock behind. Neither man had a shift to attend to at the moment. Meditation would be a logical, practical, and necessary use of Spock’s free time. 

 

Some hours later, Spock was more in control of his emotions and he decided to enter the mess to acquire dinner. Two figures walked ahead of him and he recognized the captain and doctor. His Vulcan hearing confirmed their identities, both men whispering. 

“You would not believe it, Bones. She  _ leapt _ . Like a freaking gorgeous, terrifying, sexy tiger. And she was so possessive!”

“I don’t need to hear this.”

“Bones, I was so turned on I thought I was going to die. I could barely breathe. No one has ever been as possessive of me as she was of lady-me. It was so hot.”

“I’ve had it up to here with you and your hobgoblin kink, Jim.”

“But Bones-”

“Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor not your sex therapist.”

Spock turned on his heel and moved back towards his quarters. To be jealous would be illogical. Meditation was required. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's be real, here. Female Spock is a huge hypocrite because she was 100% ready to take Jim and James both to bed. Also, Jim would look hot AF in a regulation dress.


	2. The Scientist

Spock watched as supplies were moved towards the labs and domiciles of the Vulcan science base. The VSA scientists acknowledged his presence respectfully, but he felt ill at ease among those who would have been his peers had he chosen a different path years before. Perhaps the feeling was illogical, but Spock had come to recognize from his time on the Enterprise, from his time with Jim, that he was not always so logical. It was a harsh lesson to learn and a harsher one to accept. And yet he could not find it in himself to regret it. 

Laughter, so out of place among the Vulcans of the satellite colony, bubbled through the air. Jim was running, chased by a baby sehlat one of the more open minded scientists had allowed him to play with. Jim and Doctor McCoy had offered to help, but the VSA ultimately decided that they were unnecessary in the resupply. Instead the Enterprise orbited the planet with the crew on standby while the Vulcan residents of the base took possession of the Federation supplies provided. 

“Spock!” Jim screamed as the sehlat tackled him to the ground, nuzzing him with a chirruping purr. “She’s so cute. Look at her! Why didn’t you ever tell me about sehlats?”

“The subject has never come up, Captain.” Spock ignored the desire to share his memories of I-Chaya, the remembrance bright, but filled with sorrow in the end. He knew Jim would be sympathetic to his loss and surely the human would coax out Spock’s fond memories of his loyal pet. Perhaps that is why Spock abstained. With his emotions already dangerously close to the surface, he did not need another reason to care for his captain.

“Spock, if it involves adorable creatures, I want to hear about it.” Jim giggled as the sehlat cub licked a stripe up his face and Spock resisted the desire to move closer to the scene, to make himself inextricably a part of the memory. “She’s so sweet.”

“If that thing eats you, I’m not gonna cry at your funeral,” Doctor McCoy told Jim frankly. 

The cub gave a rough, rumbling growl. Doctor McCoy took a hasty step back.

“Ooo, Bones, you made her mad! It’s ok, baby, Bones is just a grumpy old man. Who’s a good girl? Who’s the sweetest little thing? I love you. I do!”

The growl turned to more purring. 

“You and your Vulcans,” Dr. McCoy groused under his breath, Spock barely able to make out the words even with his superior hearing. 

No longer cooing at the sehlat, Jim gathered it in his lap as best as he could, appeasing it with furious scratches behind the ears. It curled into him with a snuffling sigh. Spock’s heart gave an uneven thud in his side. “Hey, Spock. What’s this colony for exactly?”

Despite the sudden rush of emotion the sight inspired, Spock answered immediately. “The Vulcan Science Academy originally intended this planet for the use of more volatile experiments. However, in the last several years it has been transitioned into something of a biological sanctuary. As the climate is not wholly unlike that of Vulcan-that-was, it was deemed suitable for the repopulation efforts of Vulcan flora and fauna.”

“Wow, that’s really cool.” The sehlat’s rightful caretaker appeared, the creature rising from Jim’s lap. Jim pouted, but otherwise did not complain as the sehlat left him with one last show of affection in the form of a nuzzle. Rising from the ground, Jim waved his appreciation at the VSA scientist, who responded with a stilted wave of his own. Spock tilted his head at the gesture, which was unusually friendly for a Vulcan.

Clearing the dry dirt from his pants with careless strikes, Jim turned to Spock looking distinctly more dusty, dishevelled, and rosy cheeked. Spock swallowed, hoping the action was too insignificant to be noticed by his captain. “What do you mean by volatile experiments, though? What were they cooking up here?”

“Primarily new forms of transportation and matter conversion as well as alternatives for dilithium.”

“Hmmm,” Jim looked to where the sehlat cub was nipping at its caregiver’s heels. “The sehlat is cuter.”

“I do not disagree,” Spock conceded, the corners of his eyes softening. 

Jim grinned and Spock was pleased with the results of his concession. 

“What the hell is that?” McCoy pointed at at an intensely glowing spot. 

The air churned and crackled, the plasma like aberration growing and growing in its intensity. 

And then it just stopped. 

Spock dropped the hand he had raised to shield his eyes, Jim and the doctor doing the same. 

A tall, blond, male figure in Terran civilian clothing stood in the glowing light’s place, his back to the three of them. The figure stared at what looked to be a tricorder before glancing down at a strange device strapped to his arm. 

The man started to move, feet bouncing. He began to dance, without rhythm but with much enthusiasm. Jim made a choking noise beside Spock.

“I fucking did it!” The figure crowed in a very familiar voice. “Eat shit, physics! Hell yeah!”

The figure’s dancing spun him around until he was facing the three of them. 

“Oh,” the figure, who was most certainly a Jim Kirk, stopped dancing. “Never mind.”

“Alternate universe?” The Jim standing at Spock’s side asked in a faint voice. 

“Yeah…” The other Jim glanced at his tricorder, brow furrowed. “That’s kind of what I think.”

“Jesus Christ,” Bones muttered. 

“Well,” the other Jim smiled, eyes brightening. “I got about ten minutes, maybe less if I’m lucky, until my device charges and I can go home. What should we talk about?”

“You can go home that easy?” Jim moved forward at the same time as his counterpart. 

“Absolutely, part of the device’s backup,” other Jim told him. “It’s still in early development, so we wanted to keep things simple while we try to increase the long distance capability. You can go to a location you input, then you can go back from where you started. That’s it.”

“You’ve created a personal transportation device?” Spock stared down at the technology wrapped around the other Jim’s forearm. “One capable of travelling into other dimensions?”

“Sort of?” This new Jim smiled softly at Spock. “It’s not for interdimensional travel, but you did mention that was one of the possible dangers when I upped the power on it.”

“Me?” Spock’s eyebrow rose.

“You mean other him?” Dr. McCoy came in closer and Spock allowed himself to wonder at the polite, but unfamiliar way the other Jim looked at him. “From your universe?” 

“Yeah, my Spock. He’s my partner. We work together at the VSA. This is still a VSA base, right?”

Spock blinked. “Yes. You are a human at the Vulcan Science Academy?”

“That’s me! First human ever accepted.” After beaming widely, the counterpart of Spock’s captain looked critically at Jim. “Since you’re all wearing Starfleet uniforms, I’m guessing none of you are at the VSA?”

Jim shook his head. “Nope, captain of the USS Enterprise.”

“Wow, cool.” VSA Jim, which seemed such an impossible thing, moved even closer, eyes raking over Jim’s body. “I kind of always wanted to be a captain, but after the accident I stopped wanting to take risks like that. Dangerous, being the captain of a starship. I guess the accident didn’t change your mind?”

Jim’s lips pulled down in a confused frown. “Accident? What accident?” 

“The accident?” VSA Jim stepped back, a matching frown on his face. “When we were kids? We stole the car, drove it off a cliff, ended up in the hospital. Broke nearly every bone in our body?”

Jim gaped. “You didn’t jump out in time, did you?”

“You did?”

The two Jims stared at each other. 

“Huh,” McCoy interrupted. “So being injured turned you into a nerd.”

“I guess so?” VSA Jim was still gawking at Jim. “Are you still pretending to be dumb?”

“Hey,” Jim snapped, offended. 

“Oh, yeah,” McCoy drawled. “He studied like a maniac in Starfleet, but you would’ve never heard about it. He made sure to sneak into the library when no one was around, acted like he was all natural brilliance. And don’t get me started on his fake ‘oh, I haven’t a clue about the regulations, admiral!’ act he puts on. Pathetic.”

“I’m feeling distinctly attacked and disrespected,” Jim spoke up. 

“Hey,” McCoy grinned. He ignored Jim completely. “Are you still slutty if you’re a nerd?”

VSA Jim smirked, his lips curled and eyes hooded in a way Spock recognized too well from their universe’s Jim. “Why? You interested?”

Spock’s fingers clenched into fists at his sides.

McCoy’s face contorted in a grimace. “Oh, god, you are.”

“Just messing with you,” Jim laughed, expression returning to its former friendliness. “Sort of. I mean, I was. I like sex. But I’m a loyal, committed type of guy.”

Spock blinked again as another soft smile was directed at him. 

Three consecutive beeps sounded in the quiet between them. 

“And that’s my cue to leave! Can’t miss date night, can I, Spock?” VSA Jim winked at Spock, roguish and lighthearted. “It’s was nice meeting you guys and you, other-me!”

VSA Jim ran back, tapping at the device as he put space between them. 

“Good luck with your transporter!” Jim called out to him. 

“Thanks! Good luck captaining!”

In another swirling, blinding blaze of light, the other Jim was gone. 

McCoy put his hands on his hips. “Well, that was something.”

 

For the rest of the day, and some days after that, Spock thought on the tender glances of the other Jim. On the mentions of commitment and date nights. On the way the scientist seemed so much like his own captain. 

Spock felt as if he were missing something and his soul ached with it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Kirk is carefree as hell because he's never had to be in command or make the kind of life/death decisions Jim has to as a captain. He's also chill because he's got a cute science boyfriend.   
> Backstory: Spock was assigned as a mentor to Jim in the VSA's passive aggressive attempt to put both of them in their place. They went on to become the best science team in the academy and also lovers in the night.


	3. The Criminal

Picking through the rubble of a Klingon warbird, Jim shouted over to Spock. “What do you make of this, Commander?”

“I am unable to formulate a possible cause for the crash, Captain.” Lips tightening, Spock read the results of their many scans. The ship, before its destruction via collision with the planet’s surface, was in perfect working order. No signs of system failure, radiation leaks, or damage from weaponry.

“Maybe they just...crashed it?” 

“Perhaps.”

“Why would they though?” Jim glared towards where medical was examining the bodies. “This is weird.”

“Indeed.”

Jim crouched down, tossing aside a scrap of jagged, scorched metal. “Hey, check out this weird-”

A flash of red light. A sound not unlike the tearing of metal. And then, in place of Jim, stood a man with Jim’s face, but all wrong. 

The man snarled. “You!”

Spock had enough time to register the phaser coming up to aim at him, allowing him to react just a moment faster. Ducking out of the way, Spock drew his own phaser and shot, stunning the man. The unconscious body hit the ground with a thud. 

When Spock commed security, his voice wavered. 

 

Back on the Enterprise, Spock stared at the still stunned man being held in their brig. He was clearly a James Kirk, that was undeniable. But he was so different. A large scar trailed down the left side of his face, beginning at the edge of his eyebrow before slicing a crooked path down his cheek and tapering around the line of his jaw. His blond hair was longer and unkempt. His clothes were all black and tattered. And his arm. 

His left arm was not flesh and bone, but tarnished and oil stained metal. 

This James Kirk awoke, not slowly or with disorientation, but with a sudden awareness and aggression that was not unlike a startled animal. He stood, feet planted and knees bent, and looked around with eyes that were deeply shadowed and hunted. Spock moved directly in front of the glass and those blue eyes turned hateful and furious. 

“Captain Spock,” this James Kirk spat. “Taking me prisoner?”

“For now,” Spock acknowledged. “The artifact that was in your hand, what is it?”

The item in question was now being studied by the crew, Chekov and Mr. Scott running a team of scientists, engineers, archaeologist, and linguists to determine what had happened to the captain and what had replaced him with this savage counterpart. 

“Gonna try to get me on smuggling charges again, Captain?” The sneer was accompanied by a sharp, humorless smile. 

“No.” Spock made a choice, fighting the growing fear and ill ease at seeing this version of Jim. “And I am not the captain. You are no longer in your universe.”

A scoffing laugh was his response. 

“You do not believe me.”

The other James Kirk moved to the glass with a predatory grace and leaned onto it with his forearms, both flesh and metal. “I didn’t realize Starfleet had started using mind games in their interrogations. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised with Marcus in charge.”

“Marcus?” Spock moved a half step closer, hands clenching where he held them behind his back. “Admiral Marcus was killed several years ago.”

The other James Kirk tipped his head, sneer still firmly in place. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”

“This is not your universe,” Spock repeated. “I am not the Spock you seem to know. And Admiral Marcus was indeed killed.”

“You’re not the Spock I know?” He tapped his fist against the glass with an icy smile. Those vibrant blue eyes narrowed at Spock, full of frigid, unrelenting hatred. Spock felt something inside him crack. “So you aren’t the Spock that marooned me on Delta Vega where I lost my arm. The Spock who allowed that psychotic Romulan to destroy Earth. The great Captain Spock, the hero who stopped Nero even though he managed to kill two worlds and a third of Starfleet in the process. The great, just, wonderful, humble Captain Spock who turned down an admiralty and let Marcus turn the remnants of Starfleet into a goddamn military regime.”

This James Kirk snarled once more at Spock, breath fogging the glass, and met Spock’s gaze with a look so full of detestation Spock’s ears rang with it. 

“No, I’d recognize you anywhere.” Teeth bared and eyes hard, he slammed his metal fist into the glass with enough force that Spock nearly flinched. “Now what do you want from me?”

Spock felt nauseous. His eyes prickled and his breath felt trapped in his lungs. Despair swallowed him as he took in this man with his Jim’s face, but nothing else. 

“Dammit, Spock! I told you to get me as soon as he woke up!”

Doctor McCoy’s voice cut through the silence Spock had been unable to fill and the doctor came to his side, gaze concerned as narrowed eyes flit over Spock and their prisoner.

The James Kirk in the cell tensed. For the first time he displayed an emotion that was something other than hatred or disdain - he looked shocked. 

“Bones?” He croaked. 

“Yeah, kid,” McCoy told him reassuringly. The wariness and concern did not leave his lined face. “It’s me.”

Flesh hand coming to cover his mouth, this other James Kirk muffled a sob. “You’re alive.”

McCoy stiffened as the man in the cell fell to his knees, sobs coming out in choked, heartbroken gasps. Tears streamed down his face and his body slumped against the glass. But his eyes, tearfilled though they were, never left McCoy’s face. 

“But you died,” he rasped out, dropping his hand. His expression was broken. Spock’s had never seen Jim’s face look so utterly ruined. Not even as he died. A metal finger pointed at Spock, accusatory. “That bastard got you killed!”

“I’m not dead, kid,” McCoy told him, eyes darting between the other James Kirk and Spock. “Not here, at least.”

“This is not your universe,” Spock finally managed to speak, voice low. “We are not the men you know.”

Sucking in a rattling breath, the man stumbled to his feet. “Ok. Ok.”

“Jim,” McCoy moved tentatively towards the cell. “Our Jim, this universe’s Jim, he’s gone. Do you know what happened?”

“I-I think so,” the other James Kirk mumbled. “It’s the thing, the thing I scavenged out of a Klingon wreck. Something was up with it. It’s readings were all wrong, it’s designs didn’t match any known languages or cultures. I picked it up and it didn’t do anything while I tested it, but then it felt hot and next thing I knew, I ended up here.”

“Jim also retrieved something from the wreckage,” Spock told McCoy. 

“We gotta get that thing down here,” McCoy said at once. “Two wrecked warbirds. Two Jims. Can’t be a coincidence. Maybe if we get him to hold it again...”

Spock called for the artifact immediately. 

 

The other James Kirk did not look at him once. It was as if Spock was no longer there. 

 

Using a tool to avoid actual physical contact, McCoy passed the artifact through the opening in the cell, watching the other James Kirk carefully. “Here you go, kid.”

The man in the cell did not break eye contact with the doctor, face desperate as he reached towards the artifact. “I’m doing this without a fight because I’m glad one Kirk still has you,” this James Kirk whispered, breathing ragged. His fingers closed around the palm sized item. “You’re my family and I love you, Bones.”

A flash of red light. A sound not unlike the tearing of metal. And then, in place of this other James Kirk, stood their Jim. 

He fell to the ground immediately, face twisted in pain though his eyes were lucid. A deep slash across his chest dripped red. The artifact clattered to the floor, falling out of his swollen and bloody knuckled fingers. 

“Hey, guys,” their Jim gasped. He smiled at Spock, eyes dancing despite his injury. Spock inhaled sharply. “I think I might’ve been a pirate.”

He collapsed as McCoy yelled out commands. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory: this Jim didn't successfully avoid the creature on Delta Vega and lost his arm. Because he wasn't able to get back to the Enterprise, different decisions were made. Bones didn't survive and neither did the Earth. Bitter, alone, and incredibly furious, this Jim turned to space piracy. He smuggles, he steals, he's not a great guy but his universe isn't so great either.


	4. T'hy'la

Jim was being healed in medbay and Spock sat in his room at the edge of his bed. He thought perhaps he ought to meditate, but after logging his initial report of events, Spock could not find it within himself to do anything more than sit and think. 

The thought of Jim hating him hurt so deeply, it was nearly physical. He could recall with perfect clarity the way the other James Kirk’s eyes had look at him - unsmiling, unaffectionate, and full of hate. 

But that was not his Jim, Spock knew. 

No, his Jim smiled at him. His Jim invited his to chess, to meals, to diversions when on shore leave. His Jim laughed and shook his head fondly. His Jim pursed his lips and chastised him for getting injured or placing himself in danger. His Jim lied for him. His Jim died for him. 

Spock always knew his captain was a tactile man, exuberant and emotive. Before he found the traits annoying, then they were tolerable, now they were desirable. Now he wanted. Now he loved. Unable to process the force of his own emotions, Spock once shunned the feeling. Now he felt it in the very depths of his being. His mind, his heart, his soul. He did not regret it now, he did not feel ashamed anymore. 

When his door chimed Spock did not hesitate. “Enter.”

Jim came in looking as well as McCoy and the medical team could possible make him. He walked in slowly, lip caught between his teeth. “Hey, Spock. Mind if we talk a minute.”

Noting Jim’s nervousness, Spock stood and nodded. “Of course, Jim.”

That earned him a smile, as his use of his captain’s name always did. “Thanks. I wanted to talk about today. I’m sorry.”

Spock’s brows contracted slightly and he tilted his head. His Jim did nothing wrong. Far from it. 

“I just-” Jim blew out a great sigh, running a hand through his hair, mussing it. “I heard what happened from Bones and I checked the security footage. I heard what that other universe’s me said. And I’m so sorry.”

“As that man was not you, your apologies are illogical.”

Jim laughed, a humorless huff of air. “I know. But the things he said...I don’t like that someone with my face would say things like that to you. Would look at you the way he did.”

“Jim, it is alright. As I said, he is not you.”

Meeting Spock’s gaze, Jim smiled, but it was resigned and tinged with sadness. “I don’t think we can handle any more of these Jims.”

Spock paused, thinking over his experience with Jim’s two other counterparts. They were so full of love for Spock, or their versions of Spock. Jim’s female counterpart was bonded to her Spock, married, happy to be possessed in a way that would scare other beings unfamiliar with Vulcan territorialism. Jim’s scientific counterpart was casual in his familiarity, had joked about a date night, had admitted to being committed as he looked tenderly in Spock’s direction. Spock felt foolish and unobservant for not noticing how similar they were to his Jim. 

He thought over the holo image of an older, more heavyset James T. Kirk, tucked lovingly away in his own deceased counterpart’s possession. He thought of this latest James Kirk. That James Kirk had no love in him, not for Spock. Which made it feel so much more intense when his Jim returned, affection obvious. 

“I found the first two to be quite pleasant,” Spock told him earnestly. 

“Ok, they weren’t bad,” Jim chuckled. “And lady-me was easy on the eyes, even you have to admit that.”

Spock seized his opportunity, determined not to waste any more time. “Yes, though I find I prefer this universe’s Jim, in that regard and all others.”

Jim’s eyes widened, his mouth parting. “You do?” His voice was high in a way Spock had only heard when they met their female counterparts. 

“Yes, Jim.” Taking a step, Spock moved until he was close enough to touch. He reached out. “May I?”

As Jim nodded, his tongue flicked out to wet his lips. Spock placed his hand gently on Jim’s face, thumb brushing along his cheekbone. 

“Spock?” Jim breathed. 

They were close enough that Spock could feel his exhalation. He leaned in, dipping his head. “May I kiss you, t’hy’la?”

“Yes,” Jim nodded emphatically, face nudged more forcibly into Spock’s hand. 

Spock allowed himself a smile. 

As their lips met - eager, hungry, and filled with a desire to possess and be possessed - Spock knew with absolute certainty that this Jim was truly his. 


End file.
